Urban wastewater reclamation by Novel mAterials and adVanced solar technologies: assessment of new treatment quAlity Indicators (NAVIA)

The main objective of the NAVIA project is the development of novel photocatalysts and new technologies based on solar advanced oxidation processes operated in continuous flow mode for UWW reclamation. Novel heterogeneous photocatalysts prepared anchoring semiconductors or organic dyes on silica spheres, solar photo-Fenton mediated by new iron sources at circumneutral pH, solar-Cl2 and solar assisted peroxides processes will be assessed at three technological level (lab scale, batch wise pilot scale and continuous flow photoreactors at pilot plant scale). The technical assessment will be based on the simultaneous analysis and monitoring of different water quality indicators, including: i) E. coli and total coliforms (commonly defined in UWW guidelines), ii) coliphages (somatic coliphages (SOMCPH) and F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNA)), iii) antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes (ARB&ARG) and iv) organic microcontaminants (OMCs), some of them already included in the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on minimum requirements for UWW reuse . Water quality indicators will be defined and assessed along six-months operation of the selected reclamation technology at pilot plant scale and continuous mode flow.

To achieve these goals, three research areas will be explored:

• The development of new heterogeneous photocatalysts with high efficiency for the decontamination and disinfection of urban wastewater.
• The development of new solar AOPs at pilot plant scale as tertiary treatments of real WWTP effluents.
• The development of effective and efficient solutions based on solar energy in continuous flow operation